Coyotes Hit Most Home Runs in a Game Since 1999
Coyotes Club Five Homers in 15-4 Win at OIT
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. -- The College of Idaho baseball team recorded their most prolific home run game in nearly a decade, blasting five long balls in a 15-4 NAIA Region I counting victory over Oregon Tech at Kiger Stadium. OIT was able to win the non-region night-cap, 9-7, ending a 16-game losing streak to The C of I.
Five different Coyotes (18-20, 10-5 Region I) hit homers in the opener - the first five home run game since the Yotes hit nine against Eastern Oregon in 1999. It was the first time since 2002 that the team had hit more that three round trippers in a game.
The Owls (15-23, 4-14) jumped ahead early, taking a 3-1 lead in the second, but the Yotes fought back quick. Bryan Champ hit a two-run homer to tie the game, and two batters later, Jake Miller added a two-run shot of his own to give the Coyotes the lead for good.
A three-run Richie Snider homer in the fourth made it 9-4, with a three-run bomb by Devin Weaver in the sixth capped a five-run rally to make it 14-4. Freshman Gavin Gamboa capped the scoring with a solo homer in the ninth.
Jason Barry was stellar in long relief, pitching five and two-thirds scoreless innings, allowing just four hits, walking two, and fanning eight. Jacob Garsez was 3-for-5 with an RBI and Miller was 3-for-6 with two RBI in the win for the Yotes.
Game 2 saw OIT score all nine of their runs in the middle innings of the seven inning game - as Sean Teaters hit a two-run homer in the third and Lee Eklund added a two-run single in the fourth. The Yotes would battle back, making it a two-run ball game in the seventh on a Perry Hamilton home run and brought the tying run to the plate, but Mike Myhre got the final out to close out the win for Tech.
Miller, Weaver, Hamilton, and Matt Mejia each had two hits for the Yotes - who moved a game ahead of Concordia into second-place in the regional standings with the sweep of the counting games, and just two-games back of first-place British Columbia for the right to host the Region I Tournament in May.
The Yotes will close out their 19-game road trip next weekend with a four-game series at Concordia, beginning with a twinbill Saturday at 1 p.m. (PT)